Motion urges council to call for public inquiry into electoral boundaries review

The controversial issue of proposed electoral boundary changes will be up for discussion at Mid Ulster Council’s monthly meeting on Thursday, March 22.

The agenda includes a notice of motion from Sinn Fein Cllr Dominic Molloy, asking the council to acknowledge that there are “grave concerns” about the Boundary Commission’s decision to scrap its provisional proposals of September 2016 in favour of revised proposals published in January 2018.

The motion claims the latest plans are “remarkably similar” to those submitted to the Commission by the DUP.

It says “many in the nationalist community have lost confidence” in the Boundary Commission and urges the council to call for a public inquiry into its handling of the current review.

The Boundary Commission, which is an independent body, has insisted that “the process of redistricting is protected from political influence or interference.”